Repeated Pannier removal/fitting

[Edwards80]

Hope this isn't too daft a question.

I got my 1st road bike at Christmas for commuting so I fitted a pannier rack to save my shoulders over the 20 mile round trip. I'm enjoying the bike a lot and fancy joining a club/riding for the fun of it.

Is it ok to remove and re-fit the pannier rack repeatedly or will it damage the mounting points on the frame?

I'm going to attempt a 27mile ride this weekend and don't fancy lugging the rack around for no reason - I'll probably be removing/replacing it for the same reason more often in the future.

Of course, another dedicated bike only for the weekend would be the best bet, not an option at the moment though

 

[SquareDaff]

Have removed mine a few times. Only damage I've seen is to the paint work which I've had to "patch up".

 

[ianrauk]

should be fine.

 

[potsy]

I plan to do the same now I have put a proper rack on the CX bike, can't see it being a problem.
I would put a dab of anti-seize on the bolts to ease removal.

 

[jay clock]

I would leave it on. Hardly worth the 500g or so, and you do risk damaging pain around the screw holes, or weaking the mounts eventually.

 

[mcshroom]

Should be fine. I put washers between the rack and the frame to stop the rack rubbing, and a little grease of the bolts. You will lose the paint on the inside of the holes, but that's probably gone now anyway.

Make sure you don't cross thread the bolts, but otherwise they fit and come off quite normally

 

[Muddyfox]

I would leave it on. Hardly worth the 500g or so, and you do risk damaging pain around the screw holes, or weaking the mounts eventually.

I agree .. Seems like a lot of hassle

 

[boydj]

I agree .. Seems like a lot of hassle

Me too. It's not worth the bother to save less weight than you'll have in your water bottle. An empty rack is barely noticeable on the bike. I only take mine off for events where the weather is bad and I want to use a bike with mudguards. It stays on for all training rides.

 

[Keith Oates]

I also consider that taking it off will not make much difference on a training run and it will prevent the small chance of doing some damage to the paintwork and/or bolts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Edwards80]

I think I'll leave it on most of the time then if it won't make much of a difference. It's going to be minus 4-10 kg of stuffed pannier so the last few hundred grams won't hurt

Cheers folks!

 

[fossyant]

I leave mine on when out on training runs. That said I have two 'race' road bikes to use as well.

 

[Sheffield_Tiger]

If you *must* remove the rack and re-fit it continually, as mentioned, don't swing on the bolts and stretch the threads.

You might consider a Topeak Beam Rack instead? You can get attachments for the sides to stop panniers swinging into the wheel.

 

[Davidc]

Decades ago when at school I had a rack on most of the time, it came off, along with mudything else that unscrewed, when I was doing a Time Trial.

I left it and the rest on when training to deliberately increase the load, sometimes with 4 house bricks in each pannier as well. Training with extra weight was a normal technique for getting better times unloaded at TT events.

Mind, ideas may have changed in the intervening 40 years!